Potatoes three ways

Susan Ritts, creator of Putting on the Ritts, shows three different recipes for making potatoes.

CHEESY SCALLOPED POTATOES

5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, washed and sliced thin with skins on 
16 ounces Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded 
16 ounce container reduced fat sour cream 
3 cans cream of onion soup (cream of chicken soup can be used if you can’t find cream of onion)
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch glass casserole dish with cooking spray. In large sauce pan over a medium-high heat, combine onion soup, Cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cook until hot and bubbly, stirring constantly. Season with salt & pepper. Reduce heat to low – stirring occassionally. While sauce is on a low heat, layer sliced potatoes in dish, overlapping as you go. Once all potatoes are layered, pour sauce over potatoes. You may have extra sauce. If so, pull potatoes out of oven after about 45 minutes and add the additional sauce to potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in preheated oven for an hour. After an hour, pierce fork through potatoes in several different places. If the fork slides through easily, the potatoes are finished. If not, cook longer until a fork easily penetrates potatoes. Serve and get hugs! SERVES 10-12

LOADED MASHED POTATOES

This dish combines unexpected ingredients to create a truly unique and flavorful potato dish. You will love it! 

Serves 6-8

3 pounds heirloom, small red-skinned or fingerling potatoes, washed thoroughly 
Wedge of good quality Gorgonzola cheese, broken into small chunks (should be about 1/2 cup or a little more) 
1 bunch arugula, washed, stemmed and ripped into bite size pieces 
1 cup toasted pecans, broken into large pieces 
1/3 to 1/2 CGD Original Seasoned Olive Oil – or olive oil
Salt & pepper 

In large pot, boil potatoes with skins on until they can be pierced through with a fork. Cut potatoes into 2 or 3 inch chunks if they are large. Time will vary, based on potato size and variety, 20 minutes or so. Drain and rinse potatoes. Return potatoes to drained pot. Using a potato masher or large spoon, smash potatoes until mashed but still has some potato chunks. Add 1/3 cup olive oil and mix/mash until incorporated. Add salt and pepper, Gorgonzola cheese, pecans, 3/4 of the arugula and mix well. Top with remainder of arugula and serve immediately.  

CRISPY SMASHED POTATOES

Serves 8-10

20 medium/small white or red skin potatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste
CGD Seasoned Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a large pot of salted water, boil potatoes until they can be pierced with a fork. Drain and cool in colander for about 10 minutes.

Lightly brush a large cookie sheet with CGD Seasoned Olive Oil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a water glass (or some other flat bottomed jar), smash potatoes until split, but still in one piece. Brush potato tops lightly with additional CGD Seasoned Olive Oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake potatoes in preheated oven for about 45 minutes (or longer for crisper finish) until potatoes are deep golden brown. Serve with sour cream.